


Fiery Heart

by Chasy2345



Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Falling In Love, Original Character(s), Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 04:07:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18438698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chasy2345/pseuds/Chasy2345
Summary: Lena discovered her powers of fire when she was seven years old. It led to a rough childhood filled with death and loneliness. She was found by Tony in her darkest time and introduced to the Avegers. They became like a family to her as they tried to teach her how to control her powers. When Thor returns from Asgard with his brother, the others don't react very well. But Lena, against everyone else's judgement, decides to get to know the misunderstood god. They fall in love hard and quick. But will it stand up to the trials of love?





	1. Chapter 1

"Lena, you need to concentrate." Steve says in a stern yet still gentle tone.

"Believe me, I'm trying, this is harder than it looks." I groan. My head is starting to hurt and I'm actually breaking a sweat. I close my eyes, trying to concentrate on conjuring up a ball of fire again but it's getting more difficult to concentrate on it when I'm also trying not to set the whole room on fire due to my aggravation. Wanda stands by, ready to shield Steve if necessary. 

"You were able to start a fire this morning, you can do it again." Wanda says soothingly. She knows the struggle of trying to come to terms with and controlling powers, or "gifts" as Steve like to say.

"I wasn't trying to this morning. I was upset." I huff as I manage to conjure the ball of fire, but it's small and nearly fizzes out. We've been at this for hours and only a few times have I managed to conjure a flame and use it in an offensive manner. This ball, just like the rest disappears, and I let out a frustrated sigh. 

"I can't do it! I'm exhausted!" I huff. 

"That's fine, we can continue another time. You did great today." Steve shoots me a smile. 

"You don't have to lie to me. I know I suck. At this rate I'm never going to be a full blown Avenger." I grab a towel nearby and wipe my face with it. 

"If I can do it, so can you. You just have to believe in yourself." Wanda hands me a cold bottle of water. I chug it down greedily before my hands warm it up too much.

"Thanks, Wanda. I appreciate it." I sigh and wipe my mouth. 

Ever since I found out about my so called "gift," when I was seven, I've never been able to control it. My mom had tried to help me through it. Sadly she died in an unrelated accident shortly after we discovered my powers. My dad just thought I was a freak and thought he could beat it out of me, he really turned to an angry drunk after mom's death. I accidentally set the house on fire and my father went up with it. I moved with my aunt after that. I never had many friends growing up, and the few I had ended badly. My life wasn't great, honestly, I hated it, and I was close to ending it when Tony found me. 

They took me in and I quickly became part of the family. They all view me as a little sister and are trying so hard to help me and teach me controlling my powers. Now I'm happier than ever with a family I've always wanted. Except for the fact I still can't control my powers. Every day,much like today, I practice until I'm exhausted and yet I get no where. 

I head out of my practice room. Tony had it built specially for me so I had a fireproof room to learn to control. It also happens to have a two way mirror so that if any of the other avengers feel like watching me fail they can. Of course that's how I see it, they just like to watch to see if I make any progress. 

When I step out of the room I nearly run into one of my closest friends.

"Peter, hi!" I smile and hug him. He's became one of my closest friends due to the fact he's one of the few people who is actually my age around here. He's a year younger than me. And I had just turned 19 like five months ago. Wanda is the next closest to my age, she's a few years older than us. We are also is really close.

"Hey, I watched your practice session today." He jokingly grimaces. I groan and punch his arm. 

"I'm trying, man, it's not like yours where is comes naturally." We start to the kitchen. 

"You'll get it, Lena, you just gotta find the right motivation." Peter smiles and bumps my arm. He's always been such a good friend, since I came here a little over a year ago. 

"How are you and MJ?" I ask, changing the subject. 

"Oh we are great," he blushes a bit. "Taking it slow though." 

"Understandable, you guys are cute though, I saw your Instagram post yesterday. 'Just studying' huh?" I grin jokingly. 

"That's all it was, I swear." He laughs. 

We step into the kitchen. "Oh man, something smells amazing." I breathe in deeply. Bucky is at the stove, cooking. I'm glad yo see him out of his room. It's been one of those weeks where he has locked himself away and refused to see anyone. 

"Hey Bucky, feeling better?"  I sit at the island. 

"I've had better days, but yes, a bit." He glances at me with a smile. "I hope you're hungry, I have made enough to feed an army."

"I'm starving, I've been practicing for hours and I missed lunch." I sigh. I know today's one of those days where I'm gonna eat till I'm about to explode then pass out for over twelve hours. It always happens when I have a particularly hard session. 

"Well I did suggest a lunch break, you are the one who refused to quit." Steve saunters in. He smiles a Bucky but makes no comment on the fact he's out of his room. "Smells good, Buck."

It isn't long before dinner is finished. I pile food up in my plate, not caring what it is, I've never been picky. The others come and go, some eating in the kitchen and other making a plate and going off to do whatever it is they do. Wanda sits with me and Peter and we talk as we eat. 

I finish my food quickly. 

"Someone's hungry." Sam chuckles as he goes back for seconds. 

"She had a long day," Wanda says. "She's getting better though." 

"Don't lie, I know I suck." I sigh. 

"We all know you're getting better. Remember when you first got here? We had fire extinguishers lined up outside your bedroom in case you had a nightmare." Sam smiles. 

"Yeah, you don't realize it, but you do have better control." Bucky says softly.

"You guys are so sweet." I smile. "I'm gonna head to bed though." 

"Of course, but while you go can you drop these off with Banner and Stark?" Bucky sets two plates in front of me. 

"Of course, see you guys tomorrow." I take the plates and head to the lab. I see Tony and Bruce talking lowly to each other. 

"What is he thinking, he can't bring him here." Bruce murmurs. 

"I know, but Thor said he's changed. Obviously I don't believe it, but he just needs a place to stay for a bit till they can find him somewhere else." Tony responds. I only feel slightly bad for eavesdropping. And it's not like I'm hiding, I'm standing right in the doorway. 

"Hopefully it's some other planet." Bruce grumbles. I clear my throat softly. I'm curious as to who they're talking about but I'm not going to ask. 

"Hey guys, dinner." I set the plates on a counter that doesn't have dangerous looking chemicals on it. "Bucky cooked, so you know it's edible." 

"Thanks, kiddo." Tony nods. 

"Make sure to actually eat this time," I say mockingly stern. They smile a bit and I head off to my room. I'm curious about who they were talking about but honestly I'm too tired to even think about it. 

I look at my room as I walk in. When I first arrived it was so bare and pristine. Now it's really my own. Posters up on the walls, covering any burns on the walls. And my own clothes and objects. It's mine, and it's perfect. 

I change into pajamas and plop down in bed. After curling up under my many blankets I'm out like a light. Just as I predicted, I'm asleep till noon the next day. 

I get up and head to the kitchen groggily. 

"There she is, here have some coffee." Natasha makes me a cup, a bunch of cream and sugar, just like I like it. 

"Thanks, Nat. I appreciate it." I sit on a stool at the island. Steve and Tony are in here as well, at the table talking and eating lunch. I just sip my coffee, glancing around. 

"Greetings, fellow Avengers, I have returned." Thor waltz into the room. 

"Welcome back, Point Break." Tony nods, though he doesn't seem extremely thrilled. 

"As most of you know, this is my brother, Loki." Thor steps aside to reveal a tall slim man. Of course I had heard of Loki before, they told me he attacked new York with a bunch of aliens and was a real bastard. But I always imagined him as a villain usually is, terrifying and hideous, nothing could prepare me for the breath takingly handsome man before me. His long raven hair swept back and his piercing blue eyes sweeping around the room. I can help but just stare. 

"You have some nerve showing your face here." Nat hisses. "After what you did to Clint, after what you did to the city, you're lucky we don't lock you up." 

I barely register what she says, but is see a flicker of shame in Loki's eyes. How the hell could a villain be so hot? 

I don't notice my palms generating heat until my coffee mug shatters in my hand from the high temperature. I gasp when a shard slices my palm. Loki looks at me curiously. 

"Thor go take him to an empty room, and keep an eye on him." Steve stands, glaring at Loki before moving to me. "Let me see." I show Steve my hand, but I watch as Thor leads Loki out. All the while Loki looks back at me before turning and exiting the room. 

Nat hands Steve the first aid kit and he bandages my hand after making sure no glass got in it. 

"Watch yourself around him, Lena. Thor says he changed, but I wouldn't trust that slimy weasle if my life depended on it." Tony gets up. "Now I have to go make sure Banner doesn't Hulk out on us." Tony saunters out. 

"Tony's right, we can't trust him. So everyone keep your guard up, and watch out for him." Steve says this in his leader voice we all know so well. "And I would prefer if you stayed far away from him. I don't want him to hurt you." Steve looks at me as he finishes bandaging my hand. I nod, but part of me doesn't want to listen to him. 

"Also, practice is not happening today, you worked too hard yesterday and I don't want you to strain yourself." 

"Thanks, Steve." I hug him. He's so caring and very worried about my well being, he's like the father I never had. He hugs me back. 

"No problem, kid. Now enjoy your day off." He picks me up and carries me away from the glass mess. I know there no use in arguing against him picking up my mess. 

I head out of the kitchen and walk around the building to find something to do. I wish I could go to the library,but sadly I can't. 

I sigh and head to my room instead. A nice shower would calm me down, also less of a chance to catch something on fire. 

After an hour under the water, I know this was a good choice. I'm so much more relaxed. I get dressed and brush my hair. I see my hair is still dripping with water so I sit in from of my mirror and concentrate. I know if I can heat it enough, my hair will dry. I close my eyes and focus as hard as I can. When I open my eyes I nearly let out an excited cry. It's not perfect or even completely dry, as the ends are still damp, but it was progress. Maybe I am getting better. 

I skip out of my room happily. I don't really have a destination in mind, so I just wanted around the building. I come across Thor leaving a room not far from his own, Loki standing in the doorway behind him. 

"Lena! Very good to see you! Banner says your lessons are coming along very well." Thor greets me happily. 

"Hey Thor, yeah, lessons are good I guess. Everyone is saying I'm improving." I glance at Loki. 

"Oh, this is my brother, Loki. As you saw earlier. Loki, this is Lena, the fire girl." Thor introduces. 

"Fire girl? She does seem quite hot." Loki smirks a bit at me, which makes my cheeks involuntarily go red and my hands to heat up. I quickly hide my hands behind my back. 

"Yes, her temperature is quite high." Thor nods. I see Tony walking this way from the end of the hall. 

"I have to go. Great seeing you again, Thor, maybe we should catch up later." I wave and quickly and turn and walk off quickly. Though as I go I hear Tony make a snide comment to Loki. 

I know Steve said I don't have practice today, but I need to focus on something. The way Loki looked at me has my mind racing. I shouldn't even be attracted to him like this. One, he has done bad things; two, everyone told me to stay away from him; and three, he's so much older than me. But he's a god, and I'm just a simple girl who can barely control fire, it's clearly only going to be some silly one sided crush. 

I go down to my practice room, pressing a button that pulls up the dummies I practice on. For once in a long time I'm actually able to conjure good fireballs, and I go off on the dummies. I'm not sure how much time passes, but before I know it I'm drenched in sweat and the dummies are completely black. I breathe heavily and I press the button that pulls them back beneath the floor. 

As exhausted as I am, I feel great. I actually was able to control my powers for the most part. Of course sometimes the fire would completely engulf the dummy without me trying. But I still did good, great even. But I definitely need another shower and a big dinner. 

I step out of the practice room, ready to hit up the showers in the bathroom down here before going to get some food. I turn the water as cold as it can get and I step under it. As soon as the water touches my skin it turns to steam, but the cold water quickly cools me down. I wash as fast as I can then hop out. I don't bother trying with a towel, I heat my body up again and it dries completely. I'm actually able to cool it down again enough to get dressed in the extra clothes I keep down here. 

As I step out of the bathroom I see Nat. 

"There you are!" She sighs. "You've been gone for hours. We thought maybe Loki had done something."

"Nope I've just been solo practicing. You'll be surprised when you see the footage." I beam proudly, though I'm curious as to why they think Loki would do anything, he would be an idiot to try anything in a building full of avengers. 

"I'll check it later. But for now, dinner is ready and most of us are actually sitting down to eat together." She puts an arm around my shoulder and leads me to the kitchen. I am bursting, wanting to tell about practice, but I want to tell everyone at once. 

In the kitchen almost everyone who lives here is at the table, minus Bruce and Bucky. 

"Banner is working, and Buck is out on an errand." Steve explains before I even ask. I also notice Thor and Loki aren't here either, but I can understand why.

I sit between Nat and Steve and we all dig in. I tell them how great practice was, and how amazing I feel. They all start congratulating me and giving me praise when it suddenly goes quiet as they all look up to see Loki in the doorway. 

"Have any of you happen to see my brother? He said he'd be bringing me food but it appears he got lost." Loki asks to the silent room.

"Clearly he isn't in here, so go take your unwanted presence elsewhere." Tony crosses his arms. Loki just clenches his jaw and turns and leaves.

"Why don't we just lock him up? It would be so much safer if we did." Nat questions.

"Nat, we have to try and give him the benefit of the doubt. But if he does anything fishy we will talk to Thor about locking his brother up." Oh so sensible Steve, always to the rescue. I didn't find the way they are so rude to Loki a bit upsetting though. Since coming here he literally hasn't done anything for them to be mad about, but apparently him just existing makes them angry. I get an idea, the rest may not be so keen on it, but I have to at least try.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning I wake relatively early. Which is something I don't like to do. I head to the kitchen and for once not another Avenger is there. There are little notes on the fridge for me to let me know that some of them have gone out and will be back later. 

This works out perfectly. I hum softly as I make my cup of coffee then get started on making cookies. It takes me an hour to bake and clean my mess. In the end though, the cookies taste pretty good. I just hope they're good enough. 

After plating the cookies I head to the one bedroom I should be staying far from. But before I can heed Steve's warning and chicken out I knock on the door. 

A slightly annoyed Loki answers the door. He looks me over with a quick sweep.

"What do you want? Here to insult and ridicule me like the rest of your joke team?" He sneers. 

"Actually no," I frown and hold up the plate. "I made you cookies, it's a sort of, 'welcome to the building' thing." I smile a bit. He gives me an odd look. 

"Why? What's your end game here?" He slowly takes the plate of cookies.

"I'm just trying to be nice. I know everyone is being pretty mean, though it is understandable why. You did destrot half of New York. But you deserve a friend at least." I speak softly to him.

"Thank you..." He moves into his room to set the plate on the dresser. His room is barren, just as mine once was. 

"Maybe I could show you around the building? Since you'll be here for a a few days it would be best you didn't get lost." I smile politely at him. 

He still gives me an untrusting look, but he nods. 

I turn and start walking. I show him around, making sure to go slow to not miss anything. All the while I keep my hands clasped behind my back, the heat won't disapate from them, and I don't want to cause any unexpected fires... again.

"This is the library, though I don't go in here much..." I sigh. 

"Why not?" He asks.

"I'm unstable... One influx of emotions, and I could set the whole room on fire." I look into the room, at all the books that I would love to read.

"So you never go in there? What if you want a book?" He looks at me. 

"I either ask one of the others to get it for me or I just don't bother." I shrug. "It's just best I don't have a book though, I've burned at least three of them." I clear my throat. "Anyways, let's continue, we are almost finished with the tour, and I'm hungry." I continue on and finish the tour at the kitchen. I go in, assuming Loki goes off to his room. 

I open the fridge, the metal heats a bit under my hand. I search for leftovers and start heating them up.

"Why are are having trouble controlling your powers?" Loki asks from the stool I usually sit on at the island. I jump a bit at the suddenness of his voice.  

"I had a troubled past... My powers are strongly connected to my emotions because of it." I shrug. Why am I telling him this. 

"So now you just need to find a way to with use your emotions to use your powers, or you should separate them." Loki suggests. 

"It's not that easy." I grab my food and sit next to him. I don't say any more, eating and avoiding looking at him. I can tell he's watching me from the corner of my eye. I try to eat quickly, then I get up. 

"I should probably go, I'm sure the rest of them will be back soon and they would probably be oh so disappointed you were hanging with the likes of myself." Loki stands. 

"I can walk you back, at least partly, my room is on the way." Oh god, am I really just trying to show him where my room is? I'm an idiot. 

"Very well, I would enjoy the company." He starts walking. I put my plate in the sink and follow him. Our walk is a comfortable silence. I glance at him occasionally, I'm surprised to find that my hands seem to be normal temperature. I seem comfortable with him now, or at least not freaking out about every single thing about him. 

I stop at my bedroom door. "It was nice to spend time with you today. You aren't as bad as everyone says you are." I smile politely. He just nods stiffly and turns to walk away. 

I go into my room and start listening to music loudly as I do a quick work out. 

It's hours later when I'm laying in bed when I hear a soft knock at my door. I get up and open the door. Much to my great surprise Loki is standing there. 

"Hello," he looks at me. "I very much don't like how horrid the rest of the people in this building are, and you are somewhat tolerable, so I thought I could talk to you." I see why he came to my room, it's not like we could just hang out anywhere without the others bothering him. 

"Oh, um, yeah sure come on in." I move aside. He steps into my room. I notice he's holding a book in his hands. I tilt my head a bit and go and sit on one of the comfy chairs in my room, gesturing to the other chair near it. 

"I brought a book, since you seemed so keen on them." He sits, looking far too regal for the comfort and casualness of my room. 

"I can't even hold it, my powers have been nuts lately." I relax on my chair. 

"Very well, I shall read it to you." He shrugs. 

"What? No way, that's not necessary." I blush deeply. 

"Nonsense." He opens the book. "The Hobbit..." He starts reading the story. I've often heard the book was boring, and honestly it probably would have been. But read in Loki's voice it sounds to be the greatest story ever told. His glorious accent almost makes me feel like I'm in the Shire. It's after a while that I slowly drift off to his soothing voice. When I wake in the morning, I am tucked away in my bed. I'm not quite sure how I got there, but I slept better last night than I had in a while. He returns again the next night to continue reading to me.

Our reading sessions become a nightly ritual after that. I spend my days practicing and at night I fall asleep in my chair to the sound of Loki reading. Only to wake in the morning tucked in my bed. 

I pretend to fall asleep one night. After a bit Loki had stopped reading and picked me up from my seat, laying me in bed. I remember he smelled like mint and cedar. He covered me up and ever so gently caressed my hair.  After that night, part of me thinks that maybe I could probably have a chance. Although the rational side tells me there is no way he would want that. 

It's been a couple weeks since this started and yet again we are in my room. Loki has a book, but he's not reading. We are talking about the things we like and don't like. 

"What do you mean you don't listen to music?" I giggle.

"I mean, I don't listen to your stuff of Midgard. It's so hard to listen to." He smiles. It's so nice to see him smile. He only ever does it when we're like this. Any other time he's scowling. Everyone is always so mean to him, I wish they could see him like I do.

He quickly falls silent when a knock sounds at my door.

"You should probably hide me before your friends see you're hanging out with a monster." He mutters. I know he's only saying this because outside of my room we hardly speak, though I always desperately want to. I just hate to think what the others would say. And I really don't want to see the disappointed look in Steve's face.

"No, no need to hide." I get up and answer the door, opening it widely. Steve and Bucky are standing there with Sam behind them. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Hey, Lena, we were wondering if you wanted to-" Bucky starts, but Sam is quick to interject and finish. 

"Join us tomorrow for an errand."

"Wow really? I would love to!" I've never gone with them before. But I have been getting better lately. Though I might have to blame that on Loki. He came to watch me once and I had done so horribly. But after that, after horribly failing in front of him I had to try harder. 

"What is he doing in here?" Steve demands suddenly. I look back and see Loki standing there, frowning. 

"We were just hanging out." I shrug. "That's what friends do, right?" 

"Friends? How could you be friends with him. Haven't you listened to a word we've told you?" Sam demands. 

"He did horrible things, Lena. How could you be friends with someone like him?" There it is, that disappointed Steve look. It almost breaks my heart. 

"He has changed, guys. He's been nothing but a gentleman." I smile back at Loki. 

"Right, sure, you do realize he's a god of mischief, but very well. We'll see you tomorrow." Steve turns and Sam and Bucky follow, all looking disappointed. I look down, a bit upset. They've never looked at me like that before.

"You didn't have to do that." Loki says softly. I look at him, holding back tears. 

"No it's fine... I'm just gonna head to bed early." I walk past him. My throat burns from trying not to cry. 

"Lena..." Loki walks to me, touching my back softly. This small act of comfort causes the dam to burst. I start crying softly. He wraps his arms around me gently. "It's fine, they don't hate you. They'll be fine."

I cry into his chest as he holds me tightly. My cries finally taper off. He pulls back and looks at me. 

"You're okay," he smiles a bit and gently wipes the tears from my face. "You are far too beautiful to cry." His voice is gentle and he stares into my eyes. 

"You aren't the person they think you are..." I murmur. "I wish I could make them see that."

"For me, the only opinion I need is yours." He leans forward and presses a soft kiss to my lips. I'm taken aback by the kiss. Of course I'd been crushing on him since the moment I saw him, but not for a second did I even thinkhe wanted that too. I pull back a bit. 

"I'm sorry," he says quickly. "Actually, no, I'm not sorry. I've wanted to do that for weeks, you are far too beautiful for me to not to."

"Loki, the others..."

"Forget about them," he cups my cheek. "No matter what, they will always disapprove of anything I do, especially if it has anything to do with you." 

"Why would you want to-"

"Honestly?" He interrupts me. "You are beautiful beyond compare. The best any man could ever ask for. And I always want the best." I blush deeply. 

"You really think I'm beautiful?" I whisper.

"Absolutely. It's a wonder another man hasn't snatched you up." He caresses my cheek. I make no response, instead this time I lean up and kiss him. He holds me and keeps the kiss gentle.

This time he's the one who pulls away. "You've got a big day tomorrow, you should get some rest." 

"Read me to sleep?" I ask softly. 

"Absolutely," he picks me up and carries me to bed, gently tucking me in before sitting next to me and reading. I fall asleep quickly and dream about his lips on mine.

* * * * *

The next day Steve wakes me up early and we're on the Quinjet before I even get a sip of my coffee. It's me, Steve, Bucky, and Sam, with Nat being the pilot. They are all silent and I just look at my lap. I keep replaying the kiss Loki and I shared last night. I almost think it was a cruel dream, showing me what I want but can't have. The only way to know is to talk to Loki again. 

"Lena, we've talked, and we may have been wrong." Steve breaks the silence.  I look at him curiously. 

"As much as we don't trust Loki. You are sweet and caring. If anyone could make even the least bit of a good impression on him, it could be you. So if being his friend could keep him under control and out of our hair, then so be it." Steve looks at me. 

"But you being alone with him like that, it's a bit scary. He is a dangerous person, and we don't trust him." Sam says. Bucky nods, but I know he doesn't quite know the extent of Loki's horror. He, like me, has only heard the stories. 

"Guys, I know you don't trust him, but I can handle myself with him. But thank you for being so worried about me." I smile a bit. "Besides he behaves himself, you don't need to worry." I think of the kiss again, and smile to myself. 

"What do you even do? What could possibly make you want to be his friend?" Bucky questions.

"He reads to me," I smile softly. "You all know how I can get with books, especially after the Harry Potter incident." I laugh. "So he reads, and it helps me sleep." 

"That's oddly nice." Sam tilts his head. 

"Yeah, he's been doing it since the day after he arrived. It's been lovely." I look at my lap with a smile. 

"Wait, what's the Harry Potter incident?" Bucky questions. 

"Oh, this was during one of your times of isolation." Sam says. 

"I decided to read the series and I got pretty into the books. And one book had some important character deaths that kinda made me upset. And you know how my powers can be. The book incinerated in my hands. After that I decided not to touch books anymore. Or even go in the library." I explain. 

"Guys, I hate to put an end to the lovely chat, but we're pulling close, and you should probably give the newbie a heads up." Nat calls from the front. 

"Right, Lena, listen carefully." Steve leans forward. "You have to stay by one of us at all times unless I say otherwise. They're going to be shooting at us, and you need to fight back. No hesitation, because they won't." Steve looks at me with a serious gaze.

"Of course, Steve." I nod quickly. I was excited before, but now I'm a bit scared. "What exactly are these guys doing?" I ask softly, if I'm gonna be dropping men, I at least want to know why.

"They're building ranks, believing they are superior than everyone else, and they aim to destroy the world." 

"Okay guys, I'm dropping now. Get ready." Nat calls. The men stand and I follow suit. "Be careful, Lena! And you boys better watch out for her!" The back opens and Sam grabs me as he jumps out of the jet. I cling to him as his wings carry us gently to the ground. Steve and Bucky land beside us, both holding their guns. 

"Get ready to fight, Lena." Bucky moves to my side. We advance to the seemingly abandoned building before us. I follow Steve and Sam into it. For a bit I actually think it's empty and that they're just yanking my chain. But suddenly bullets rip across the room. 

I conjure fire and hurl them at the men shooting at us. All three of the men with me all protect me in some way, making sure a single bullet doesn't get to me. 

"Sam, you go up with Lena, me an Buck are going down!" Steve commands. Sam grabs me and flies up to the balcony of the next floor. I send fire at more of the men. Sam sweeps them off the balcony easily with his wings. It isn't long before the gunshots get less and less frequent. And the higher up we go the less men we see.

We burst out onto the roof. It appears we got everyone. "Cap, how you guys doing down there? Roof's clear." Sam calls using the comm. 

"I think it's everyone, we are heading up there now. How is Lena?" Steve responds quickly. 

"I'm good guys, you find the leader?" I ask. 

"No, just his right hand, he must have left," Bucky says gruffly. 

"Oh no, I'm here." A rough voice sounds behind me then I'm grabbed with an arm around my throat and I feel the cool metal of a gun pressed to my head. The smell of rotting meat fills my nostrils. I am repulsed as well as horrified. 

"Lena!" Sam goes to lunge forward. 

"Don't!" The man holding me screams. "I will pull the trigger if you come towards me." Sam quickly stops. I try to conjure up fire, to fight back against him, but I know it's fruitless. When I'm scared like this, with death gripping fear, I can't use my powers. It happened once, I was in highschool and a group of students attacked me, they got me on the ground and just kicked me until I couldn't breathe, I was so scared I was going to die I couldn't fight them. 

"Sam what's going on?" I hear Steve shout through the comm. I start shaking, tears in my eyes. 

"Dude, put the gun down." Sam speaks calmly. "Just don't hurt her."

"Sam! Tell me what's happening!" Steve shouts. The man starts pulling me to the edge of the roof. 

"Please don't hurt me, please." My voice cracks as I'm trying to hold back my tears.  

"Let me go, out of here or the girl dies." He cocks the gun. 

Suddenly Steve and Bucky burst onto the roof and train their guns on the man. The man holding me jumps back. We're right at the edge of the roof now. I try to remember the physical training that I've received, but all is failing me. 

"Lena!" Bucky looks at me wide-eyed.

Steve steps forward. "You better let her go, now!" He growls, in protective father voice. I start to think clearer. I bring my arm forward then back suddenly, elbowing the man in the gut. As soon as his gun isn't trained on me Steve lets out a shot. 

The man falls back and another gunshot sounds. I feel a sharp pain in my side and my foot slips at the edge. 

"Lena, no!" One of them scream as I slip off the roof. It's astounding, the feeling of falling. I wanted to do this once.

I was seventeen, I felt so alone. I hated what I was and what I could do. I went to the tallest cliff, and stared down at the water on the rocks below. I was just about to step over the edge with tears streaming down my face. I was so ready to end everything right then and there. Then a man in a flying suit came to me. Told me he could help me. And now here I am, about to suffer from the same fate when I'm most happy. 

My thoughts are yanked from my mind when warm arms catch me. 

"You aren't leaving us today," Sam grins. The shock of the catch leaves me without words. He takes me back up to the roof. As soon as Sam sets me down Steve grabs me and pulls me into a tight hug. I hiss a bit and pull back, holding my side. I feel the warmth of blood. 

"This isn't good..." I mutter. 

"Lay down!" Steve commands, helping me down and immediately putting pressure on the wound. 

"Nat's on her way," Bucky says softly. 

It doesn't really hurt now, but I know it's there. I look up at the sky, watching the clouds. Loki told me this was one of his favorite things to do when he was younger; watching the sky. It's peaceful, I've never really taken the time to do it. I should do it more often. 

The Quinjet arrives and they load me on and are out of there quickly. 

"It's not that bad, she should be okay." Steve murmurs. "The bullet when through and through, we just have to stop the bleeding." 

"She's strong, that's for sure." Bucky says. He's holding one of my hands tightly. 

"We're almost there! Tony's got the med room ready!" Nat calls. Their voices seem to be fading though, and I feel so tired.


	3. Chapter 3

I close my eyes for what seems to be a second, but when I open them I'm in a bright room. I go to sit up.

"Wait, hold on." Loki's voice says softly. He moves to my side and lays me back. "Wouldn't want to tear your stitches." 

"Loki?" I look around. "I'm home?"

"Yes, it appears those imbeciles can't keep one girl safe." Loki growls. 

"I'm fine, it's not their fault." I look around. "I'm starving though, how long was I sleeping?"

"It's been nearly twenty four hours since they brought you in. With the injury, nearly falling to your death, and using your powers so much, your body needed the long rest." Loki responds. "I've been reading to you all night. I thought you'd appreciate it." He slowly takes my hand. 

"All night? But you need to sleep." I look at him, squeezing his hand softly. Looking at him, him holding my hand, it brings up the memory of our kiss. Or was it a dream? I don't dare ask, if it was a dream I would like to at least pretend a bit longer that he cares for me in more than just a friendship sort of way. 

"I'll sleep later." He shrugs. 

"Charts say you're awake, I brought some food." Tony walks in, pushing a cart of food. Loki is quick to pull his hand away and stands. 

"I'll leave you two alone." He stalks out, Tony giving him an ugly look as he passes. 

"You hungry, kiddo?" Tony pushes the cart to my bed. 

"Since when did you become a server?" I laugh softly, sitting up slowly. 

"When someone I care about got hurt, I decided to make an exception." He sits on the chair Loki was just in and passes me food. "I'm just glad it wasn't any worse." He puts his feet up on my bed and takes some food as well. 

"Thanks for the concern." I smile and start eating. 

"So you and Loki, huh?" Tony raises his eyebrows. 

"What, um.." for a moment I think he knows about the kiss, the feelings between us.

"What could you possibly gain by being friends with the god of being a dick?" Tony scoffs. 

"Oh, um he reads to me, we talk. It's nice." I smile. 

"There's audiobooks and a building full of people who can talk to you. Or did you forget about the rest of us?" Tony gives me a look. 

"Oh please, even if I wanted to forget you guys there's no way you'd let me." I grin. 

"Damn right about that." Tony chuckles. We fall into a comfortable silence as we both finish eating. 

"The guys...they aren't beating themselves up over this, are they?" I ask softly. Tony doesn't respond. 

"No, it wasn't their fault." I frown. "I should talk to them." 

"They'll come to visit, don't worry." Tony stands. "Papa Steve is gonna make sure he apologizes profusely for putting you in danger." 

"Shut up," I blush. Steve may be the man I see as a father, but Tony is like the fun uncle people always talk about having. 

"Nah, we all know he's the father figure. No shame in that." Tony chuckles. "No relax, I'm sure you've got a bunch of visitors today." He pats my shoulder and leaves, taking the cart with him. 

Tony is not wrong. All throughout the day I am visited at least once by everyone.

First Wanda and Vision, then Thor to congratulate me on not dying, Bruce brought me more food, Nat came and said she was proud of me, then I told her everything that happened. Sam and Steve show up sometime later. 

"Hey, kid, how are you feeling?" Same asks. 

"Alive, thanks to you." I smile. 

"You wouldn't have even been in that situation if I had checked around properly." He sighs. 

"Sam," I touch his arm softly. "I don't blame you, I don't blame any of you. It could have happened to anyone. I'm just lucky I'm alive." 

Steve sighs and looks at me. "Bucky could really benefit from hearing that."

"What do you mean? Don't tell me he's locked himself away again." 

"I wish I could tell you otherwise." He shakes his head. "I've been trying to get him to come out, to come see you." 

"Well then I'm gonna go see him." I go to get off the bed.

"Lena, don't strain yourself." Sam goes to stop me. 

"I'll be fine. Let me just go see him." I get off the bed, holding my side. 

"You guys are really something. Can't even keep the girl in bed, she can't just be wandering." Loki strides in. 

"Can't you go bother someone else." Sam frowns. 

"Yes I could, but I like the company in here more." Loki slips a wink my way. I smile. "But if the lady insists on venturing out, I shall accompany her."

"We can take care of her just fine." Steve stands, looking protective. 

"You sure proved that quite well yesterday, didn't you?" Loki sneers. Sam glares and clenches his fists. 

"Knock it off, all of you!" I snap. "Loki, I would like it if you walked with me." I hold my arm out to him. He links his arm with mine and carefully leads me out of the room. I shuffle, as taking big steps hurts the bullet wound. 

"You are far too stubborn, you know that." Loki shakes his head.

"I know." I smile. He chuckles softly. 

We make it to Bucky's room. I knock loudly and Loki steps aside. "Bucky Barnes, you come out right now!" I keep knocking until I hear shuffling footsteps and the door unlocks and opens. Bucky looks like he hadn't slept.

"Lena...?" Bucky blinks at me. "Are you okay?"

"Of course. I'm perfectly fine. I came to tell you I don't blame you. Please don't lock yourself away because you blame yourself." I look at him. 

"I..." He frowns a bit. "You got hurt, we should have helped you..." 

"It's okay, really. I don't blame you at all." I realize no matter what I say he's going to go back to his room. "Just take care of yourself, and don't worry about me." I give him a hug before I step back. He shuts his door and I hear the lock click. I sigh softly. 

"Come along, dear. We need to get you back in bed." Loki gently picks me up and carries me to my bedroom. The way he says "dear" makes my heart flutter a bit. Maybe it wasn't just a dream.

I lean my head on his shoulder and take a deep breath, I just love the way he smells. He gently sets me in my bed and sits next to me, wrapping his arms around me. 

"Loki," I glance up at him. Part of me yearns to lean up and kiss him, but I restrain. What if I'm looking into this too much...

"Yes, dear?" He looks back at me, his voice soft. 

"Tell me about Asgard..." I nuzzle against him, ultimately deciding not to do anything, I don't want to make a fool of myself.

"Alright then," he smiles a bit and starts talking. I quickly fall asleep to the sound of his voice. 

I seem to sleep for what seems like forever, no dreams, just dark and silence. When I wake, my room is empty save for myself. I was partially hoping Loki would be here when I woke up. He never is usually, so why did I think that would change? 

I'm extremely surprised when my bathroom door opens and Loki steps out wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. His hair is wet and slicked back and his skin has a soft pink tint I assume from the hot water. I can't help but stare in awe. He's lean and more muscular than I thought. He also looks surprised to see me awake. 

"I'm sorry, I thought you'd still be asleep when I got out." He moves his hand to the towel, as if to make sure it's secure. I blush and glance away. 

I hear a wavering sound and when I look at him he's dressed. I move to sit up but wince from the pain of my injury.  He is quick to notice and moves to my side.

"Are you alright?" He asks in a soft tone. I nod, smiling a bit. 

"Yeah, just a bit sore. I suppose I'll have to stay on bed rest all day." 

"Then I shall keep you company for the day. Unless you'd rather I didn't." He looks at me. 

"no, please stay, I can show you some of my favorite movies." I smile. 

"Movies? What is that?" He tilts his head. 

" Umm, it's kind of like a play, but recorded, and you can watch it over and over on a TV.." I try to explain in a way he could understand.

"Very well, let's watch your movies." He nods. "But first you need food. I shall return in a moment." He leans forward a bit, almost as if he's about to kiss me,but stops and instead stands and leaves the room. 

I watch him go, I don't feel hurt per say, but I feel a bit dejected. Does he not like me? We haven't spoken about the kiss since it happened which further makes me believe I simply dreamt it. But if I had why would he be acting the way he does around me. And if it actually happened does he regret it now? Is that why he didn't kiss me before going?

My thoughts are interrupted by a loud knock followed by it being opened and Nat and Clint barging in with a tray of food. 

"Hey kid! Nat told me everything that happened, congratulations on your first war wound!" Clint sits beside me and Nat on the other,setting the tray in my lap. I start to tell them I already have food plans, but they continue one.

"I made this especially for you, it was the meal Nat made for me after my first injury, best chicken soup you'll ever eat." Clint beams. There's no way I can turn that down. 

" Shouldn't you be home with the new baby?" I ask.

"As soon as I heard about what happened I had to come and make sure you were okay." Clint smiles. "me and Nat decided to keep you company for the day before I head back home tonight."

"That's great, guys." I glances up and see Loki standing in the doorway, he clenches his jaw and leaves quickly. I suddenly feel awful. 

All day Clint and Nat are true to their word, hanging out with me and never leaving me along for more than five minutes. It's nice to hang out with them, but I still feel awful for completely ruining the plans I had with Loki. As night falls and I finish eating dinner with them, Clint finally stands. 

"I guess I should head home now, let you get some rest." He gives me a hug. "get better so we can take you out on more missions, alright?"

I smile a bit. "Alright, hopefully next time I won't get shot." 

Nat follows Clint out, no doubt she's gonna fly him home. I lean back in my bed with a sigh. Right now all I want to do is talk to Loki and sleep. I wonder what he is doing, if he stayed out of trouble all day.

Almost as if my thoughts summoned him, he appears in the doorway. 

"Still want company?" He says a bit gravely.

"I'm so sorry about that. I haven't seen him in a while, and we're all like family so he was worried..." I start rambling.

" My dear you have nothing to worry about. They did it because they were worried about you." He moves into the room and sits on the edge of my bed beside me. "They were afraid I'd try to take advantage of you, get you to spill all their secrets and whatnot." 

I sigh deeply. "I can't even imagine how upset that makes you, I'm sorry. They are just so protective and..." I'm cut off as he kisses me softly. My heart leaps in my chest. It definitely was not a dream. 

" You do not need to be sorry. You know who I am, and my intentions with you are not in any way malicious." He cups my cheek. "Your opinion is the only one that matters. As long as you trust me then I care not about anything else."

I smile brightly up at him leaning up and kissing him again. His lips for perfectly against mine. And nice and cool against my unusually warm skin. 

He pulls back with a small smile. "My dear, you need to get some rest, you've been up all day." I nod and lay down, resting my head on his lap. He runs his finger through my hair and starts telling me a story from his childhood. I fall asleep to his soothing words. 

Loki stands before me, talking lowly with a smile. I can't hear his words, but the tone I feel is like he's recounting a story. I feel calm, happy. 

"I can't do this anymore." Him suddenly speaking in a cold voice catches me off guard. 

"Loki, what are you talking about?"  I look at him. I'm a bit taken aback by how cold and unfeeling he looks.  "Is something wrong?"

"This was all fun and games but I have grown tired of this." He rolls his eyes. "It was so fun toying with you, seeing how I could manipulate your feelings. But I'm bored now."

" Loki, what are you saying?" My heart clenches in my chest. He laughs cruelly.

"Did you actually believe I could care about you? Why would I ever care about a human like you? You're so naive, to even think that. You're just a child and I'm a god, you wouldn't even be worthy of a drop of my sweat." 

My throat tightens as tears threaten to spill."Why are you saying these things?"

"Because I never have and I never will want to be with you. Your hero friends are right. I only ever wanted to hurt you. I'm a villain after all, that's what we do." He shrugs. I start sobbing.

"Now begone. Before I extinguish you like the bug you are." He waves his hand. 

Suddenly I'm no longer in front of him, but instead I'm standing on the edge of the roof of the building from a couple days ago. I wipe my tears and look down. It's a long drop. The drop surely would have killed me if it weren't for Sam. 

I go to step back but an arm wraps around my throat. 

"You should have died." The voice hisses in my throat. I haven't heard this voice in so long and it instantly sends fear coursing through me. The familiar smell of bourbon brings me back to the years of abuse I endured from my father. He pulls me back.

"Help!" I gasp. "Loki... Peter... Someone please help!" 

"No one is going to help you. No body cares about a freak like you. You should have jumped from the cliff years ago and saved everyone the trouble of ever having to have known a freak like you." My father's voice growls in my ears.  He shoves me forward and I fall to my knees at the edge of the roof.

"Please, don't hurt me..." I whimper, feeling like I'm seven again. Fear fills me as I look up at him. 

"All of those people who you think care about you, they don't." He kicks me in the stomach, causing me to cry out.

"Someone help!"  I scream. He kicks me again. "Please help!..." I sob loudly. 

"Jump!" He screams at me. "End your miserable life, do everyone a favor and just jump. No one wants you. That man you care so much for wouldn't even bat an eye if you died." He says so cruelly. It cuts deeply at my heart. 

"I really wouldn't care." My father suddenly turns into Loki.

"Haven't you hurt me enough?" I whimper. 

"Oh no my dear, not nearly enough." He grabs me by my throat and lifts me up hanging me over the edge.

"Loki, please no!" I claw at his arm. "Let me go!"

"Very well, dear." He sneers and releases me. I scream as I fall. He just stares down at me with cold eyes. 

"Loki, no!" I wake screaming out. I'm disoriented and I still see him staring down at me still feel like I'm falling. 

I don't notice when my door bursts open.  Or the fact that Loki is next to me trying to calm me down. Or even the flames starting to burn around the bed.

"What did you do to her?!" Steve grabs Loki and slams him against the wall with his arm to his throat. Tony is quick to put the fire out while Nat comes to my side to calm me down. 

"I didn't do anything!" Loki grunts. "She was screaming, I was trying to help her."

"You think we're going to believe that? She screamed your name, I swear if you touched her, I'll kill you myself." Tony aims the blaster from the hand of his suit at him. 

"I promise you I would never harm her, just let me go and she can explain everything." He looks at the two of them. They all look at me, but I'm curled up against Nat, whimpering and sobbing, oblivious as to what is going on.

"She had a bad dream," Nat says softly. 

"Friday, get Wanda." Tony says aloud. 

"You better stay away from her." Steve glares at Loki. 

"If any of us see you near her again, you will be on another planet before you can say Valhalla." Tony clenches his fists. Steve shoves him out of my room, watching him slink down the hallway. 

Wanda comes in a few moments later. "Is she okay?"

"She had a really bad dream, almost burned the room. We need you to do your thing." Tony explains. Wanda moves over to me and puts her hands on the sides of my face, wiping my tears with her thumbs. 

"Go back to sleep, it's going to be okay. I promise." She frowns a bit as she calms me down and puts me to sleep. "She'll be fine till the morning. I'll stay with her though, in case it wasn't enough."

"Keep an eye out for that evil son of a bitch. I don't trust him near Lena, and I'd prefer he stay far away." Tony growls a bit. 

"Not a problem." Wanda nods. 

"Thanks for the help, Wanda." Nat smiles at her. She leans down and kisses my forehead softly and heads out with Tony and Steve. Wanda curls up on the bed with me. 

I sleep soundly for the rest of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

I wake curled up against Wanda's back. I sigh softly, this having happened many times before. I sit up, but my movement wakes her. 

"Good morning. How are you feeling?" She asks me softly. 

"Awful for waking you and whoever else up." I pull my knees up and wrap my arms around myself. 

" Don't worry about it. Most of us don't sleep much anyways." She hugs me. "Besides, someone has to stop you from burning the place down." She jokes lightly. I smile a bit, but I still see my dream vividly. 

"Did you see it?" I ask softly. 

"I saw enough. He's not actually hurting you is he?" She looks at me.

"No..." I sigh. 

" I won't pry more then. I don't understand what's going on, but I promise it will stay with me." She smiles and hugs me again. "Think you can handle getting food?" I'm thankful for the quick change of subject. 

"Yes, I'm starving." I carefully get up, with the help of Wanda. 

She puts an arm around me to carefully help me to the kitchen. 

The halls are mostly empty as we walk, which isn't unusual. What is unusual, is that Loki is no where to be seen. I'm used to him walking with me, well always. Did I accidentally hurt him last night?

No one is in the kitchen when we get in there. Again, not unusual, most of the time when I get up, it's either empty or has maybe one or two other people.

"Let me make you breakfast." Wanda smiles and moves to the stove. 

" I'm capable of making my own food." I sit at my usual seat. 

"I'm aware, but you had a long night, sweetie." She starts making breakfast, not letting me help whatsoever. 

I keep glancing out to the hall, hoping maybe I'll see Loki. Sadly I'm not graced with his presence. Not at all the whole time I'm eating. I'm disappointed, but also worried. If he did get hurt would the others even help him? They make it very clear how much they despise him. 

I eat faster than I ever had before and I get up quickly. "I appreciate this, Wanda, but I do have something to do. I'll see you later." I dash out of the kitchen and head to Loki's room. 

I pound on the door heavily, fear pounding through me when silence greets me. But it's only for a moment. I hear steps approach the door and when it opens, Thor is standing there. 

"Lena! You're looking well, how's the battle wound?" He beams.

" It's healing," I try to peer around him."Is Loki here?" 

" Of course!" He grins and steps aside. I go in and sigh with relief when I see him, looking unharmed. I move to him. 

"Are you okay? I didn't burn you, did i?" I stop just before his bed, remembering his brother is standing right there. 

"I'm fine, Lena. You really shouldn't be here though." He glances down, not looking at me. 

"If I hurt you I'm so sorry... I have a hard time and bad dreams tend to-"

"You didn't hurt me." He sighs, looking up at me with a pained expression. "It would be best if we didn't see eachother anymore..." My heart sinks when those words leave his mouth. 

"Loki...what are you talking about?" 

"I think it would just be better for everyone if I wasn't around you anymore..." He clenches his jaw. "we both know I'm a bad influence on you and I'm only going to hurt you in the end." 

"Who told you to say that?" I growl. He stays silent. I whirl around to Thor. "Did you tell him?"

"Of course not,I'm on your side. He told me everything." He looks at me kindly. 

I turn to look at Loki. "What you're saying is bullshit and I won't stand for it."

" If they catch me near you, they will kick me out. I don't want to ruin things between you and them. As much as I dislike them, I don't want you to be unhappy because of me." Loki stands. 

"then they don't need to catch us together. We can find a way, just please don't do this to me." I wrap my arms around him tightly. 

"What about your dream, aren't you afraid I'll hurt you?"

"My dream is just what it is, a dream." I sigh softly as he finally wraps his arms around me too. I pull back a bit though, to look at him. "I'll talk to them, maybe they'll change their minds if I explain what happened."

"There's no use, you're a hero,and in their eyes I'm nothing but a villain. They will never see me any other way."

"Loki, you are no villain, they just don't understand you. They don't know you like Lena or I do." Thor says. 

"Thank you, brother, but sometimes there is no changing who people think you are." Loki sighs softly and looks at me. "You should go before one of the others see you here. I shall see you later." He presses a soft kiss to my forehead then steps back. 

"I'll walk you to your destination," Thor offers with a smile. 

"I'm going to my practice room." I respond, looking at Loki for a moment before stepping out, letting Thor follow. My heart hurts so much. He doesn't understand how much this exact situation is like my dream. 

We walk in silence for only a moment. 

"I very much approve of the two of you together." Thor beams happily. "You have made him happier than I've ever seen anyone. And you have a fantastic influence on him! He hasn't attempted to stab or betray me once!" Thor grins. 

I laugh softly. "He was that bad?"

" Only occasionally, he was a very spirited child, loved his pranks." He chuckles. "But you are seeing a side to him he very rarely shows to anyone. I understand the rest of the avengers may not approve. But you must stay persistent. He does not mean what he said, he likes you very much. He just fears that the others will be very upset with you if this continues and he knows that will hurt you."

"Doesn't he know this is hurting me?" I sniffle softly.

"Oh, Lena." he hugs me tightly. "Do not spill tears, my little friend. This is just a small bump on the road. Do not let this ruin what you two could have."

" Thank you, Thor." I hug him back. "maybe you can talk some sense into him?” We can continue on to my training room. 

" I shall attempt to, and you do not give up on him either." He stops outside the room. I see Steve and Wanda heading this way, I didn't realize that it's actually time for training according to my usual schedule. 

Thor gives me an encouraging look before leaving. 

"I almost didn't think you'd be here." Steve says as he walks up. 

" And yet you showed up." I look at him. I am slightly harboring bitter feelings towards him, which is insane to me, because I love Steve. But part of me knows if anyone were to say anything to Loki it would either be him or Tony, if not both. 

I turn away from him and pull up the dummies, throwing fireballs. Steve just steps back, watching me work. I feel so many emotions swirling within me; anger that the others are trying to ruin my happiness, sadness from Loki breaking things off with me, fear that I really am about to lose what we have for good, and irritation that Loki even thinks I care about what the others think. 

Its almost like these feeling are building a first within me. I'm so focused on the dummies that I don't even pay much attention to Steve or Wanda. 

"Lena, Lena, you need tocalm down." I don't hear Steve say this. 

"Steve we need to get out, right now!" Wanda grabs him and Yanks him out of the room. As they do I start to notice the fire around me as I keep launching fireballs until finally everything explodes around me. The window between this room and the watching room shatters. 

When everything settles I can't softly, looking at the aftermath of what I did. The walls are blown out, scorch marks covering every surface. The door is completely blown off the hinges. Steve and Wanda slowly walk into the room, both with small scratches on their arms and faces. It's only seconds before alarms start blaring and sprinklers go off in the room, dousing everything. 

"Are you okay?" Steve quickly moves to my side. He checks me over and sees I don't even have a scratch on me. 

"I'm fine, Steve." I may seem fine, but I'm suddenly extremely exhausted, I know this had just taken a lot of my energy to do. 

"That was incredible." Wanda says in wonder. "I didn't know you could do that." But I did. It only happened once before; the day my father died. 

"It may be a while before we can continue practicing." Steve looks around. "Maybe that's for the best."

I nod slowly, my body suddenly feeling very weak. I just need to go lay down. 

"I'm gonna go to my room, okay?" I murmur and start walking. My legs feel like Jell-O and my mind feels numb. This happened last time too. I was in a coma for like a month, but back then I was younger, maybe if I just nap I'll be fine. 

I barely make it to my bed before I collapse, my legs not being able to hold me anymore. I she'd my clothes and curl up in bed, asleep before I can even pull on a blanket. 

*    *    *

I wake what seems like ages later. I groan when I hear soft beeping. I open my eyes to see a monitor be my side and an IV in my arm. I sit up slowly. I'm still in my bedroom, but my comfy chairs have been pulled closer to my bed and blankets pool on the floor. 

I get up surprisingly with ease and I pull the IV from my arm with a wince. Once I start to the door, Bruce walks in. 

"Oh, you're up. That's great." He sighs with relief. "You had us worried. You need to stop scaring everyone." He chuckles softly before coming over to check on me. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I feel perfectly fine. I think I just overstrained myself and my body needed some rest." I shrug. 

" Well we need to do some tests, make sure you really are okay." He studies me. 

"okay fine" I sigh, knowing I'm not going to talk him out of it. I let him lead me to the infirmary. He does his tests quickly.

"Nat's the one that realized that you were in your room a long time. When she came to check on you you were unconscious. Had us all freaking out. Steve explained what happened, but we were still worried."

"How Long?" I ask, the way he is it must have been more than a day or two. 

 

"Just over a week. We were all worried, didn't want to leave you alone in case you woke up." He responds as he finishes up taking blood. 

" Are you the one who stayed in my room?" I ask curiously. 

"We all kind of pitched in during the day, taking shifts. But at night Thor insisted on staying all night. He didn't want to leave your side."

"Thor?" I look at him curiously. He merely nods.

" Your results look normal, so I guess you are free to go." he smiles. 

" Thanks, Bruce. I'll see you around." I hop off the table and start out. Surprisingly I'm not very hungry, so I just kind of wander. I end up finding myself at my training room. I guess they haven't started fixing it up cause it still looks bad, just looking as I approach the doorway I can tell. I step in and I'm shocked to see Loki standing in the room.

"Loki?" I say his name softly, almost like I'm afraid he'll leave if I speak louder.

"Lena." He turns toward me and takes a deep breath as if he's relieved to see me. In a flash he's standing before me. "You're awake?" He reaches out gently and caresses my cheek. I place my hand over his.

"Yeah, just woke up." My voice is still soft. The words he said before rattling through my mind.

"I was so worried about you. I thought it was my fault..." He quickly pulls me close into a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry for what I said."

"It's okay Loki." I hug him back, like I don't want to ever let go. 

" No it's not. I was just scared. I was afraid you would be hurt if you were with me. But I was an idiot. I'm sorry." He lifts my chin and presses his lips against mine. The fires of passion awaken in me as I kiss him back. I didn't think this would happen again. 

He pulls back with a smile. "I stayed with you every night hoping I could be with you like this again." He says softly.

"but, Bruce told me Thor..."

"I have the ability to change my shape my dear. Thor was willing to let me pretend to be him so that I may stay with you." He runs his thumb along my cheek softly. 

" Why would you do that?" I ask softly, my heart swelling with, oh... love. I'm in love with him. This thought shocks me but yet, seems so rational. 

"Because the thought of losing you, terrified me. I wanted to me with you any moment I could."

"That means so much to me." I reach up and kiss him again. I feel so comfortable in his arms, almost complete. 

He deepens the kiss and I'm swept up in it, kissing him back with the same intensity he's giving me. He presses me back against the wall as the kiss gets more passionate. We keep it like that for a while before we pull away, both of us out of breath. Part of me doesn't want to stop. My whole body tingles and I want more, I want him. This is the first time I've ever wanted someone this way.

"We shouldn't be doing this here." he says, a bit out of breath. "They could see us together."

"Then let them see." I murmur. 

"You don't want that, my dear. The grief they will give you. They could make me leave." He looks down a bit, looking more vulnerable than I've ever seen. 

"Loki, I want to be with you. If they don't like it, that sucks for them. But I'm a grown woman and I can make my own decisions and I can be with whoever I want." I cup his cheek. "I want to be with you."

"and I with you." He smiles softly before kissing me again. 

"Come back to my bedroom with me. I desperately need to shower, but then I want to spend time with you." I say softly. "maybe you can read to me."

" I would very much like that." He takes my hand and I start to my room. The only person we run into is Wanda. She just gives me a knowing look before continuing on. I appreciate her not saying anything against it. She's probably the only one who won't give me hell for this. She didn't have to fight Loki, she has no personal ill will against him. I just wish the others would understand.


End file.
